Trolley-pole.



L. G. QOLLINS & A. R. ELTOM.

TROLLEY POLE. APPLIOATION FILED IEBTZB, 190s.

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- PATENTED AUG 18, 1908. L. 0. COLLINS & A. R. ELTOM.

TROLLEY POLE. I I APPLIGATION FILED 1:13.28, 1908.

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awwcmfow UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE.

LAWRENCE O. COLLINS AND ARTHUR R. ELTOM, OF CRANFORD, NEW JERSEY.

TRoLLEY-PoLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 18, 1908.

Application filed February 28, 1908. Serial No. 418,309.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LAWRENCE O. CoL- LINS and ARTHUR R. ELToM, citizensof the United States, residing at Cranford, in the county of Union,State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Trolley-Poles; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

The present invention has reference to improvements in trolley poles,and it resides, primarily, in the provision of an exceedingly simple,inexpensive and eflicient self-seating device of that nature comprisinga pair of telescoping members, the inner member carrying the trolleywheel which is held normally against the trolley wire by the action ofthe usual spring secured to the car roof.

More especially, the invention resides in the specific construction ofthe pole members; in the particular devices utilized for applying ayielding outward pressure upon the inner pole member; in the particularmanner in which such devices are connected with said'members and in theparticular devices employed for retracting the inner mem ber against theaction of the first-mentioned devices.

The invention will be readily understood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description, and its preferred embodiment isillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which corresponding partsor features, as the case may be, are designated by similar referencenumerals in the several views.

Of the said drawings: Figure 1 is a frag-' mental side elevation of acar provided with the improved trolley pole. Fig. 2 is a view of theupper end of the pole taken at right angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is alongitudinal section through thepole. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail viewof the rocking lever. Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line 55 ofFig. 3.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the trolley pole 1, whoselower end is fitted in the pivoted sleeve 2 mounted in the usual mannerupon the car roof, is shown as comprising an outer member 3 having alongitudinal socket 4 formed therein, and an inner member 5, slidablewithin said socket, the projecting end of the last-mentioned memberhaving secured thereto the trolleywheel 6 which travels along the underside of the trolley-wire 7. The pole, as a whole,

is normally forced u wards toward the wire by the'usual retractl ecoil-sprin 9 which is likewise located upon the car roo and is connectedat one end to the sleeve above referred to, the wheel being in thismanner held yieldingly against the wire.

The outer member has formed therein a communicate with the socket 4, theinner member carrying a cross-pin 11 whose opposite ends project throughsaid slots and through alining openings formed in a sliding collar 12carried by the first-mentioned member, which latter is further providedwith a second collar 13 disposed below the collar 12. The collar 13 isheld in position upon the pole-member 8 by a thumb screw or similarfastening device, and is thus stationary relative to the collar 12.Between saidcollars is interposed an expansible coil-spring 14 securedat opposite ends thereto, the tension of said spring being exerted uponthe sliding collar 12, which is thus forced away from the collar 13projecting the member 5 outwardly of the member 3. The tension of thecoilspring 14 is, however, considerably less than that of the spring 9;consequently, where the trolley-wheel is traveling along wires strung atmore than the usual distance from the ground, the pole will be raisedinto a more nearly vertical position, and the wheelcarrying member willbe forced. inwardly into the socket 4, the spring 14 yielding under thegreater pressure of the spring 9. "when, however, the wheel is displacedfrom the wire from any cause, the tension of the spring 14 will at oncemove the wheel-carrying member outwardly.

In order to effect an automatic return of the wheel to the wire in suchinstances, the pole is provided with a double lever 15. This element, asshown in Fig. 5, comprises a pair of similar arms 16 disposed uponopposite sides of the pole and provided with centrally-located aliningopenings through which the ends of the cross-pin 11 roject, displacementof said arms from the pin being prevented by inner and outer washers 17and 18. The lower end of each arm 16 is provided with an integralextension 19 which is set at an acute angle thereto and is provided withan arcuate slot 20, said ex the numeral 21, and then downwards parallelwith each other, as at 22,- the curved ends of the last-mentionedportions being connected together to form a U-sha ed bracket in which asecond trolley-whee 23 is disposed, said wheel being mounted upon ajournal pin 24 carried by the :arms of said bracket 1). e., the bentportions 22, above referred to.

The stationary collar 13 is provided with a air ofdiametrically-opposite laterally-proecting pins 25, u on each of whichisrotatably mounted a anged roller 26 whose reduced inner portion extendsthrough the adjacent slot 20.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that upon any accidentaldisplacement of the wheel 6 from the trolley wire, the pole will beswung upwardly upon its pivot by the contraction of the spring 9, suchmovement carrying the wheel above the wire and. bringing into contactwith the latter, one or the other of the bent ends 21 of the. leverarms, according as the wheel leaves the wire from one side or the other.At the same time, the inner member 5 will be projected outwardly of themember 1, under the action of the s ring 14, which movement willcorrespon ingly swing the lever 15 into a more nearly vertical position,the rollers 26 approaching the right-hand ends of the slots 20. Thetension of the spring 9, however, is sufficiently great to more thancounterbalance that of the spring 14, and therefore, when the bent end21 of either lever arm is brought into contact with the wire, the lever15 will be rocked u on its pivot, the wheel end of said lever eingdepressed and its slotted end raised. The extensions 19 in which saidslots are formed are set at an acute angle to the lever arms, as abovestated by reason, of such disposition, the rocking movement of the leverwill therefore cause the rollers 26 to approach the left hand endofrsaid slots, and since the distance between said slot ends and thecross pin 11 is less than that between the latter and the right handends of said slots, the sliding collar will be forced to move downwardlyupon the pole member 3, thus retracting the member 5 and subsequentlyreengaging the wheel 6 with the wire. The ends 21 are bent downwardstowards each other and. on this account,

' serve as guides to direct the wire towards the wheels 23 and 6, whichare dis osed in alinement with each other. It wi thus be seen that themain trolley wheel will be automatically returned to reengagement withthe wire in the event of displacement therefrom, thus completely disensing with the use of guides beneath bri ges and over railwaycrossings.

What is claimed is 1. A self-seating trolley pole, comprising incombination, inner and outer telescoping members; a trolley wheelcarried by the in outer member for normally raising the pole bodily, toengage said wheel with the trolley-wire; means for yieldingly projectingvthe inner member; and an automatically-operated lever connected withboth of said members for retracting the inner member.

in combination, inner and outer telescoping.

members, the outer member being provided with a longitudinal slot, andthe inner member with a lateral pin projecting through said slot; atrolley-wheel secured to the inner member; means connected with theouter member for normally raising the pole bodily, to engage said wheelwith the trolley-wire; means carried by the outer member and connectedwith said pin, for yieldingly projecting the inner member; and anautomaticallyoperated lever connected with both of said members, forretracting the inner member against the action of said projecting means,when the wheel leaves the wire, to effect the reengagement of the wheelwith the wire.

3. A self-seating trolley pole, comprising, in combination, inner andouter telescoping members, the outer member being provided with a pairof oppositely-disposed longitudinal slots, and the inner member with across-pin projecting at opposite ends through said slots; a trolleywheel secured to the inner member; means connected with the outer memberfor normally raising the pole bodily, to engage said wheel with thetrolleywire; means carried by the outer member and connected with theinner member, for

yieldingly projecting the latter; and a lever for retracting the innermember against the action of said projecting means, when the wheelleaves the wire, to reengage the wheel with the wire, said levercomprising a pair tionary and the other collar slidable, said slidingcollar having a rigid connection with the inner member; a spring bearingat opposite. ends against said collars, for yieldingly projecting theinner member; and a rocking lever pivoted to said sliding collar andconnected with said stationary collar, for retracting the inner memberagainst the action of said spring, when the wheel leaves the wire, torengage the wheel with the wire.

5. A self-seating trolley pole, comprising, in combination, inner andouter telescoping members, the outer member being provided with a pairof op ositely-disposed longitudinal slots, and t e inner member with acrosspin projecting at op osite ends through said slots; a trolley-wheelcarried by the inner member; means connected with the outer member fornormally raising the ole bodily, to engage said wheel with the troleywire; a fixed collar and a sliding collar carried by the outer memberand arranged in spaced relation to each other, said sliding collar beingsecured to the ends of said pin; a spring interposed between saidcollars and bearing at opposite ends against the same, for yieldinglyprojecting the inner member; and an automatically-operated lever forretracting the inner member against the action of said spring when thewheel leaves the wire, to reengage the said wheel with the wire, saidlever comprising a pair of similar members disposed upon opposite sides'of said outer member and having their adjacent ends connected together,the members of said. lever being pivoted centrally upon the ends of saidpin and having their lower ends connected with said fixed collar.

6. A self-seating trolley pole, comprising, in combination, inner andouter telescoping members; a trolley wheel carried by the inner member;means connected with the outer member, for normally raising the polebodily, to engage said wheel with the trolleywire; a fixed collar and asliding collar carried by the outer member and arranged in spacedrelation to each other, said sliding collar having a rigid connectionwith said inner member; a spring interposed between said collars andbearing at opposite ends against the same, for yieldingly projecting theinner member; and an automatically-0perated lever pivotally connectedintermediate its ends with said sliding collar, and having its lower endslidably connected with said fixed collar, for retracting the innermember against the action of said spring, when the wheel leaves the wireto rengage said wheel with the wire.

ranged in spaced relation to each other, said sliding collar having arigid connection with the inner member; a spring interposed between saidcollars and bearlng at opposite ends against the same, for yieldinglyprojecting the inner member; a lever pivoted intermediate its ends tosaid sliding collar and provided at its lower end with a slotted angularextension; and a roller carried by said fixed collar and extending intothe slot in said extension.

8. A self-seating trolley pole, comprising, in combination, inner andouter telescoping members, the outer member being provided with a pairof oppositely-disposed longitudinal slots, and the inner member with acrosspin projecting at opposite ends through said slots; a trolley wheelcarried by the inner member; means connected with the outer member fornormally raising the pole bodily,

to engage said wheel with the trolley-wire;-

a fixed collar and a sliding collar carried by the outer member andarranged in spaced relation to each other, said sliding collar beingsecured to the ends of said pin; a

spring interposed between said collars and bearing at opposite endsagainst the same for yieldingly projecting the inner member; a lever forretracting the inner member against the action of said spring, saidlever comprising a pair of similar armsdisposed upon opposite sides ofthe outer member, the

lower end of each arm being provided with an angular extension having anarcuate slot formed therein, the free ends of said extensions and theupper ends of said arms being connected together; a pair ofoppositely-disposed lateral pins carried by said fixed collar; and aroller carried by each pin and extending into the slot in the adjacentextension.

In testimony whereof, we afiix our signatures, in presence of twowitnesses.

LAWRENCE C. COLLINS. ARTHUR R. ELTOM. Witnesses:

LEWIS STRICKER, JAS. STANsFIELn.

